Sleep: The first pillar of health

There is a common misconception that during sleep our minds and bodies are in a passive state. But this couldn’t be further from the truth and increasing scientific exploration in this area over the last twenty years has negated this theory once and for all.

Enough GOOD QUALITY sleep is essential for everyone if we want to thrive in our midlife and beyond. It is the key to aging healthily and the cornerstone of all the other healthful practices we might engage in – regular exercise, diet, meditative programs are all exponentially enhanced with good sleep health.

Disrupted sleep is a major concern for many women going through perimenopause. The drop in oestrogen affects receptors all over our bodies, including other hormones and glands. Changes to the pituitary gland affect our circadian rhythm and suddenly our sleep patterns are turned upside down, throw in some overwhelming anxiety and night sweats and it’s hardly surprising we’re suffering brain fog and wondering how we make it through the day!

The Centre for Disease Control in the US stipulates that adults should get at least 7 hours sleep every night but there are variations for different people, and it is important that you figure out what is right for you. Maybe 6 hours of high-quality sleep is sufficient for you to thrive, maybe you need 9 hours to be able to face your day with productivity.

When we talk about high-quality sleep, we mean sleep that cycles beautifully between the different stages. Remember we said sleep is non-passive, well it’s more than that – at times during sleep, our brains are more active than when we’re awake!

Our sleep cycles between NON-REM and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep generally in 90-minute waves.

In stages 1 & 2 of NON-REM sleep, we’re in light sleep, respiration and heart rate slows down, body temperature drops, and brain wave activity slows down.

As we move into deeper levels of NON-REM sleep, stages 3 & 4, the brain erupts with powerful, slow and rhythmic brain waves as hundreds of thousands of brain cells in the cortex all fire together suddenly and go silent together. It is at this time that our blood pressure drops, and our nervous system moves from fight or flight into the more restorative rest and digest. This deep sleep improves our immune system function so when we wake up after a good night of deep sleep, we are a more robustly immune individual.

The entire flow of NON-REM sleep helps consolidate the information we’ve learned during the day, helping our brains capture the memories the day and storing them away in a more secure area. Clearly therefore, NON-REM sleep enables both the body and brain to not only recover from the stresses of the day, but also to build physical and mental strength and clarity for the day to come.

During REM (or dream) sleep, our brains remain very active, in fact, some parts of the brain are 30% more active during REM sleep than when we’re awake! REM sleep offers what could almost be considered complementary therapy whereby we process the difficult emotional experiences we’ve had during the day and soften them, taking away the hard edges so the next day we feel better about the emotional challenges we had faced. It is this REM sleep that offers us emotional healing and creates associations between experiences in our brains, enhancing our neuro-plasticity.

My experience of sleep

Having managed in the health and social care sector for so long and seeing the profound effect of dementia both on the individual and their loved ones, I became committed to aging as healthfully as possible. During my research it became clear that sleep had to be my number one priority.

As an historically poor sleeper, made even worse by my menopausal experience, I considered the impact that poor sleep was having on me:

• Feeling so tired after work that driving home didn’t feel safe
• Trying to motivate myself to cook my family a healthy meal was a real struggle
• Being more ‘short’ or less responsive with my children
• Increasing stress levels
• What training / exercising I was able to do was not having the desired effect as the lack of deep sleep affected potential muscle growth
• Days feeling muggy-headed and cloudy, wondering was this sleep deprivation, perimenopause or early onset dementia?
• And the list went on………

What can you do to prioritise sleep?

The most important thing to recognize is that there is no quick fix to sleep problems and disorders and for some (these are the very few), medical treatment may be required. However, over 90% of people suffering with both chronic and acute sleep problems can take action today.

In no particular order, I addressed what I saw as key elements to promote the highest quality sleep:

NUTRITION

Personally, I believe in ADDING things into our diets to promote restorative sleep rather than depriving ourselves or counting calories. Research studies clearly show that a Mediterranean diet has a profoundly positive effect on our gut microbiome and health and those with a diverse microbiome sleep more deeply and continuously. Adding in more fibre-rich foods, healthy fats and fermented foods can help boost your microbiome tremendously.

ALCOHOL

As I hit perimenopause my tolerance for alcohol weakened and the after-effects dragged on. When I started tracking my sleep patterns it became clear that my stress levels remained excessively high on evenings when I drank alcohol, meaning I woke up fuzzy headed and groggy – not necessarily from the alcohol itself but from the lack of quality sleep. It also exacerbated my restless leg syndrome, so I spent a large amount of time awake and restless.

As I reduced and eventually stopped drinking alcohol the positive effect on my sleep was quickly realised. Perhaps you could try a week without alcohol and assess the impact this has on you?

SLEEP TIMING

One of the best things you can do to improve your sleep is probably the easiest! Consider your sleep timings….. do you try and go to bed at similar times? What about getting up? Enjoy that long lie in on the weekends?

I’m still not keen on getting up before 7am on the weekends but that’s what my body wants! And, actually, I get to enjoy a coffee with just the dog for company.

Stabilising your sleep/wake times has a profound impact on your circadian rhythm – that part of us that tells us when to sleep and when to wake. By maintaining sleep and wake times within 30 minutes you can drastically affect the quality of sleep you achieve. Most people focus on the evening routine and maintaining bedtimes but waking times are actually more impactful.

ENVIRONMENT

The environment in which you sleep can have a big impact on your sleep. Is your room cool and dark? Is your bedroom reserved just for sleep and intimacy? What about noise?

All these little things can add up to create a big impact so tonight, take a look round and see what small changes you can make to your bedroom to create your own sleep haven.

I hope these tips have been useful, but if want to know more about any of the above, or what you can specifically do help in your situation then book in for a free 30 minute insight call here or reply to this email. Perhaps you’re keen to know about the effects of caffeine, what polyphenols in your diet can do or the role of night meditations – I’d love to help you sleep and feel ready to take on the world – one good night at a time!